The City of Sheridan is a home rule municipality located in

Arapahoe County Arapahoe County may refer to: *Arapahoe County, Colorado *Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory Arapahoe County was a county of Kansas Territory in the United States that existed from August 25, 1855, until Kansas's admission into the Union on January ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. Sheridan is a part of the

Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area Denver is the central city of a conurbation region in the U.S. state of Colorado. The conurbation includes one continuous region consisting of the six central counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson. The Denver r ...

. The population was 5,664 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Sheridan is located at (39.648920, -105.017681). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.91%, is water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 5,600 people, 2,236 households, and 1,372 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,395 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 77.00%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 1.88%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 2.20% Native American, 1.68% Asian, 0.07%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 12.54% from other races, and 4.64% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 32.52% of the population. There were 2,236 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.14. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,984, and the median income for a family was $38,500. Males had a median income of $29,655 versus $22,500 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $16,635. About 9.0% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 15.3% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

Brief history

Sheridan was originally part of the

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...

and has always been a small community. The first white settler of what would become Sheridan was John McBroom in the spring of 1859. He homesteaded . The town was initially named Petersburg. McBroom built his first log cabin near Bear Creek which he later abandoned in 1866 when he married Emma J. Bennett. He prospered as a farmer and found a viable market in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

for his goods. He was joined by his brother, Isaac McBroom, in June 1860, who also homesteaded a little over . The laying out of the town of Sheridan is credited to Isaac. He was also responsible for the name change from Petersburg to Sheridan. Isaac McBroom's cabin can be toured at the Littleton Historical Museum. Another prominent figure in Sheridan's early history was Peter Magnes. Originally from

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

, Magnes was a farmer who immigrated to the United States at the age of 26. In 1859, his first daughter was born on the banks of Cherry Creek. He also purchased of land and built a small log cabin. In 1865 Magnes laid out the town of Petersburg and encouraged Swedish families to immigrate to his town. The town had a railroad, hotel, blacksmith, church, newspaper, post office and, of course, taverns. The state of Colorado was formed in 1876, putting Sheridan within its new boundaries. Citizens began moving toward incorporation of Sheridan in January 1890. There was some dispute among the petitioners about boundaries, and the final results were filed in February 1890. On April 14, 1890, the town of Sheridan was incorporated. Sheridan gets its name from U.S. Army General Philip H. Sheridan. General Sheridan established

Fort Logan Fort Logan was a military installation located eight miles southwest of Denver, Colorado. It was established in October 1887, when the first soldiers camped on the land, and lasted until 1946, when it was closed following the end of World War ...

, which was originally known as the "Camp close to Denver". It was on the site known as the Johnson Tract, south of the city, with a water supply, the proximity of the railroad, "available space for a parade ground, artesian well possibilities, the beautiful view and the distance from Denver and its saloons." Because of the military post Sheridan continued to flourish. However, eventually the post was shut down, and it is now a mental health facility that borders Sheridan. Sheridan has remained a community that continues to influence the surrounding areas, most recently with current redevelopment projects.

Education

The Sheridan School District operates area public schools.

''Legend''

Sheridan was the setting for the short-lived western TV series ''Legend''. When the writers originally chose the name, they were not aware that the town of "Sheridan, Colorado" existed.Source: E-mail from Bill Dial, co-creator, dated 1996 The show takes place in 1876, some time before Sheridan was incorporated.

References

External links

City of Sheridan official website

CDOT map of the City of SheridanSheridan Historical Society
{{authority control Cities in Arapahoe County, Colorado Cities in Colorado Denver metropolitan area Populated places established in 1890